Night vision devices are commonly used by military personnel for conducting operations in low light or night conditions. The night vision devices used by the military typically include image intensifier tubes and associated optics that convert infrared and near infrared light into viewable images.
Mounting assemblies for mounting night vision devices to helmets are well-known in the art. Preferred ones of these mounting assemblies are attached to a helmet in a manner that allows a user to view a scene through the night vision device without having to hold the night vision device.
Some of these mounting assemblies include mechanisms for adjusting the position of the night vision device with respect to the user's eyes, such as a vertical adjustment mechanism (adjusting the device up or down with respect to the user's eyes); a horizontal adjustment mechanism (adjusting the device toward or away from the user's eyes); and/or a tilt adjustment mechanism (adjusting the device pivotally about a single plane, the user's line of sight.)
Such adjustment mechanisms provide a wide range of adjustability of the night vision device for proper orientation of the device with respect to the user's eyes, and therefore a more efficient use of the night vision device. However, an even greater degree of adjustability may be obtained by use of a mounting assembly having a rotatable portion that is universally rotatable. That is, having the ability to be rotated about a variety of different planes of rotation.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved mounting assembly, which includes a universally rotatable portion for increasing the adjustability of the mounting assembly.